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Contents

Descent (224), February 2012

The Final Piece of the Jigsaw

The search has been long, not to mention the amount of effort that has been expended. Tim Allen covers the story of how the connection across Three Counties was finally made.

Memories of Lyle

The key place to dig in Lost John’s Cave turned out to be a side passage in Lyle Cavern High Level Series. Tony Waltham remembers how it was found, over three decades ago.

The Essence of Digging

If you’re a digger, you know what it’s like. For the rest, this is a real treat: a description of working in mud slurry and loose rocks that brings home a feeling of being there.

The True Length Unravelled

How long is the Three Counties System? Only the linked caves, mind; not how long it has the potential to be! Typical published lengths are between 75km to over 100km – but read on for a full analysis and the definitive answer.

Into the Darkness

In cave biology circles, Romania’s Movile Cave holds something akin to cult status, given its isolated, evolutionary unique ecosystem. Yet little has ever been reported of the cave itself, of what a trip there entails and just how restricted access remains today.

Handlines for Free

Rope testing reveals much about how our SRT systems fare underground. Now, a new experiment into the survival rate of handlines is coupled with a request to help place some samples.

How Many Teams Fit into a Hole?

Holding a joint rescue exercise is not unusual, but Midlands CRO took the principle to an extreme then even had to deal with a real callout, to boot.

The Wet West Adventure

With no open access, exploration in Glebe Mine’s natural passages has been limited. Yet, three decades ago work was begun that was only recently quietly continued.

The Descent Competitions

Three competitions closed at the end of 2011, so now is the time to see whether you have a prize coming your way, or perhaps simply to laugh at the captions that only cavers could think up.